


Steeping the Tea Leaves of Friendship

by PennamePersona



Series: Clinic AU [23]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, F/F Friendship, F/M, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, Music
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 16:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7369591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PennamePersona/pseuds/PennamePersona
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kanaya has been invited to listen to some music making at the Harley/Strider residence, courtesy of Rose. Though Rose spends most of their time playing her violin for her brother's remixing, Kanaya finds herself having an interesting time talking to Jade, regardless. </p><p>It's a learning experience for both Kanaya and Jade, and one that Kanaya will remember for a long time to come.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steeping the Tea Leaves of Friendship

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TrollJegus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrollJegus/gifts).



> So I asked TrollJeguus for a prompt and she gave me two and I combined them. I know it wasn't what you said, but I hope you like it regardless! 
> 
> This is definitely dedicated to TrollJeguus, who has helped me to expand this verse so much, I can hardly remember most of it anymore (though somehow she seems to). Thanks so much, my dear friend, I'm so glad that this verse brought us together.

You lean back against the counter in Jade and Dave's kitchen, listening to the sounds coming from the living room. Jade sits on one of the counter stools, the two of you resting in a comfortable silence. You don't know Jade terribly well, only that she is Dave's girlfriend, a very close friend to Rose, and John Egbert's sister. John is a relatively recent visitor to the clinic you work at, but you've already seen rather a lot of him, something you believe Karkat has taken an almost special note of.

You plan on keeping an eye on that.

 _Meddler_ , a voice in your head says, but you silence it with a hand waved in the air.

"Um, Kanaya?" Jade says. "You alright there?"

You open your mouth to say who knows what, but are saved by the whistling of the neon green kettle (odd color choice, but it suits Jade, you think). You pick it up, carefully, and pour hot water into the four mugs waiting on the counter. You brought the tea yourself, loose leaf, now contained in the very interesting and, you must admit, adorable tea holders that Jade owns.

"A frog?" You ask, peering into the cups.

"I had to get some since Rose was always bringing tea around, and it was just so cute!" She says. "Dave's is the pokèball, cuz he's a nerd."

"Ah," You say. "Karkat also enjoys Pokémon. As do I, on occasion, but not as much as he and Nepeta and Sollux."

Jade chuckles, which causes you to tilt your head curiously.

"It just must be so odd for Rose, being with someone with such a big family." She says. "She's so used to just the four of us. I'm really proud of her for even trying with you at all. No offense meant, by the way, I just mean that it's hard for her."

"I know." You say. "I can tell how hard it is, sometimes."

Jade just nods in understanding.

You both sit quietly again, listening to the sounds of a violin, occasionally disturbed by more distorted violin sounds and banging that sound almost random to you. You can't say you really understand Dave's music, but it is pleasing to the ear.

"No hitting the fish tank, babe!" Jade calls, earning a "Fine, lame-o."

"He's an interesting character." You offer, not really knowing a better adjective for Dave Strider than that.

"Oh yeah," Jade says. "He's interesting alright. I'm never bored."

"You say that very fondly," You observe.

"I do." Jade says, in that sure way that you've noticed she as, as though she's spent time thinking and already reached her conclusion, and doesn't much care if you agree with them or not. "I love him."

The casual way she says that floors you. You've spent so much time not mentioning love around Rose since she said she had a hard time with it, you can hardly believe that someone who loves Dave could say it to a relative stranger.

Somehow, it prompts you to blurt, "I love her."

Jade whips her head around to look at you, then.

"Do you really?" She asks, and you know she expects nothing but complete honesty from you.

"Yes." You say, so sure despite just realizing it recently.

"You had better." She says. "Because Rose is very attached to you, and I refuse to see her hurt if I can help it."

"I'd hate to hurt her." You say. "It would hurt me, as well."

"Good." Jade says.

There is silence again, for a short while, and then Jade speaks.

"I realized that I was in love with Dave when we were listening to a piece that we'd done together. It just sounded so raw, and I knew...I knew that I loved him romantically. It was terrifying."

She looks at you, then, and though you're in no habit of spilling intimate moments to relative strangers, you feel compelled to speak.

"Rose invited me to her apartment for tea, and when I got there, everything was dark. Well, that's not necessarily true. There was light spilling in from all the windows, but all the decorations and curtains were deep purple, black, gray, and the like. We sat for a while,  talking, and I asked her why she didn't simply use the candles, as I could see there was an abundance of  them. She blushed and told me that I reminded her of the light and made her want it around. I knew then that I wanted to protect her and let light in every area of her life, as well as I could."

"You remind me of the light, too." Jade says, smiling gently, and you find another realization hitting you. Jade Harley is no stranger. She's your friend, and you have a feeling she is going to be a rather dear one.

"I love the light." You say, smiling back. "Karkat and my apartment is filled with it. The curtains are just gauzy colors, reflecting onto the decorations. It reminds me of a stained-glass window reflecting into a mosque. It's perfect for us."

Jade's smile just widens, and you feel suddenly at peace.

There's a pause in the music, then, and Rose comes in with Dave close behind her.

"Oh, tea," Dave says. "And in my special tea-container thing, too! Knew I loved you, Harley."

Jade just rolls her eyes at him, and you are struck with a longing for what they have. It's so casual and intimate at the same time, a relationship that makes you feel at home just observing it.

You pass Rose her cup, and lean in to kiss her cheek.

"I loved your playing," You say. "It was quite lovely."

"Thank you," She says, blushing. You find yourself calling her a lovely creature in your mind, and wonder when you became so head over heels that you began thinking in prose.

Then again, Karkat would probably accuse you of thinking in prose already, so perhaps you aren't too far gone.

Rose tucks some hair behind her ear, then, and you stop that ludicrous thought process in its tracks.

You and Jade accompany Rose and Dave out to the living room after tea, and Dave gives you the job of banging while he records and Jade and Rose play. It's all rather fun, and you find yourself lost in it, lost in the music, in the company, in the light of it all.

It's good to be lost in the light.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos are rad, comments are utterly fantastic, find me at:
> 
> Pennamepersona.tumblr.com
> 
> I'd love to talk to you about anything, but especially this verse!


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